Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A system comprising: a memory component comprising a plurality of blocks; and a processing device, operatively coupled with the memory component, to: determine that data stored in a first block of the plurality of blocks of the memory component satisfies a first threshold criterion pertaining to an age of the data; responsive to the data stored in the first block satisfying the first threshold criterion, maintain a first counter to track a number of read operations performed on the first block; determine that the data stored in the first block does not satisfy the first threshold criterion; and responsive to the data stored in the first block not satisfying the first threshold criterion, maintain a second counter to track a number of read operations performed on a super block comprising the plurality of blocks.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing device further to: responsive to the data stored in the first block satisfying the first threshold criterion, maintain a plurality of counters to track a number of read operations performed on each of the plurality of blocks separately.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the processing device further to: set a value of the second counter equal to a highest value of any of the plurality of counters; and discard the plurality of counters.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of blocks in the super block is arranged in a stripe across a plurality of planes of the memory component.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing device further to: determine that a value of the first counter satisfies a second threshold criterion pertaining to the number of read operations performed on the first block; and responsive to the value of the first counter satisfying the second threshold criterion, perform a data integrity scan to determine a first error rate for the first block.
The system monitors data storage devices to detect and mitigate errors in stored data. The system includes a processing device that tracks read operations performed on a storage block using a counter. When the counter reaches a predefined threshold, indicating a high frequency of read operations, the system performs a data integrity scan to assess the error rate of the block. This proactive approach helps identify potential data corruption or degradation before it affects system reliability. The system may also compare the error rate to a threshold to determine if corrective action, such as data recovery or block replacement, is needed. The counter is reset after each scan to ensure continuous monitoring. This method improves data reliability by detecting and addressing errors early, particularly in storage media prone to wear or degradation over time. The system can be applied to solid-state drives, hard disk drives, or other storage technologies where read operations may contribute to data integrity risks. The threshold criteria can be adjusted based on the storage medium's characteristics and usage patterns to optimize performance and reliability.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein to perform the data integrity scan, the processing device to: determine whether the first error rate satisfies an error threshold criterion; and responsive to the first error rate satisfying the error threshold criterion: relocate the data stored in the first block to another block on the memory component; and reset the value of the first counter to an initial value.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing device further to: determine that a value of the second counter satisfies a third threshold criterion pertaining to the number of read operations performed on the super block; and responsive to the value of the second counter satisfying the third threshold criterion, perform a data integrity scan to determine error rates for each of the plurality of blocks in the super block.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein to perform the data integrity scan, the processing device to: determine whether at least one of the error rates for at least one of the plurality of blocks satisfies an error threshold criterion; and responsive to the at least one of the error rates satisfying the error threshold criterion: relocate the data stored in the at least one of the plurality of blocks block to another block on the memory component; and reset the value of the second counter to an initial value.
9. The system of claim 7 , wherein to perform the data integrity scan, the processing device to: determine whether a highest one of the error rates for a corresponding one of the plurality of blocks satisfies an error threshold criterion; responsive to the highest one of the error rates satisfying the error threshold criterion, determine whether a number of the error rates for corresponding ones of the plurality of blocks that satisfy the error threshold criterion satisfies a fold threshold criterion; and responsive to the number satisfying the fold threshold criterion: relocate the data stored in the corresponding ones of the plurality of blocks to other blocks on the memory component; and reset the value of the second counter to an initial value.
10. A method of operation of a memory sub-system comprising: determining that data stored in a first block of a plurality of blocks of a memory component satisfies a first threshold criterion pertaining to an age of the data; responsive to the data stored in the first block satisfying the first threshold criterion, maintaining a first mode of operation of the memory sub-system, wherein in the first mode of operation, a read count for the first block is tracked at a physical block level; determining that the data stored in the first block does not satisfy the first threshold criterion; and responsive to the data stored in the first block not satisfying the first threshold criterion, initiating a second mode of operation of the memory sub-system, wherein in the second mode of operation, the read count is tracked at a super block level, wherein a super block comprises the plurality of blocks.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising: in the first mode of operation, determining that the read count satisfies a second threshold criterion pertaining to the number of read operations performed on the first block; and responsive to the read count satisfying the second threshold criterion, performing a data integrity scan to determine a first error rate for the first block.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein performing the data integrity scan comprises: determining whether the first error rate satisfies an error threshold criterion; and responsive to the first error rate satisfying the error threshold criterion: relocating the data stored in the first block to another block on the memory component; and resetting the read count for the first block to an initial value.
13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising: in the second mode of operation, determining that the read count satisfies a third threshold criterion pertaining to the number of read operations performed on the super block; and responsive to the read count satisfying the third threshold criterion, performing a data integrity scan to determine error rates for each of the plurality of blocks in the super block.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein performing the data integrity scan comprises: determining whether at least one of the error rates for at least one of the plurality of blocks satisfies an error threshold criterion; and responsive to the at least one of the error rates satisfying the error threshold criterion: relocating the data stored in the at least one of the plurality of blocks block to another block on the memory component; and resetting the read count for the super block to an initial value.
15. A method comprising: determining that data stored in a first block of a plurality of blocks of a memory component satisfies a first threshold criterion pertaining to an age of the data; responsive to the data stored in the first block satisfying the first threshold criterion, maintaining a first counter to track a number of read operations performed on the first block; determining that the data stored in the first block does not satisfy the first threshold criterion; and responsive to the data stored in the first block not satisfying the first threshold criterion, maintaining a second counter to track a number of read operations performed on a super block comprising the plurality of blocks.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising: responsive to the data stored in the first block satisfying the first threshold criterion, maintaining a plurality of counters to track a number of read operations performed on each of the plurality of blocks separately.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising: setting a value of the second counter equal to a highest value of any of the plurality of counters; and discarding the plurality of counters.
18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising: determining that a value of the first counter satisfies a second threshold criterion pertaining to the number of read operations performed on the first block; and responsive to the value of the first counter satisfying the second threshold criterion, performing a data integrity scan to determine a first error rate for the first block, wherein performing a data integrity scan comprises: determining whether the first error rate satisfies an error threshold criterion; and responsive to the first error rate satisfying the error threshold criterion: relocating the data stored in the first block to another block on the memory component; and resetting the value of the first counter to an initial value.
19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising: determining that a value of the second counter satisfies a third threshold criterion pertaining to the number of read operations performed on the super block; and responsive to the value of the second counter satisfying the third threshold criterion, performing a data integrity scan to determine error rates for each of the plurality of blocks in the super block, wherein performing the data integrity scan comprises: determining whether at least one of the error rates for at least one of the plurality of blocks satisfies an error threshold criterion; and responsive to the at least one of the error rates satisfying the error threshold criterion: relocating the data stored in the at least one of the plurality of blocks block to another block on the memory component; and resetting the value of the second counter to an initial value.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein performing the data integrity scan comprises: determining whether a highest one of the error rates for a corresponding one of the plurality of blocks satisfies an error threshold criterion; responsive to the highest one of the error rates satisfying the error threshold criterion, determining whether a number of the error rates for corresponding ones of the plurality of blocks that satisfy the error threshold criterion satisfies a fold threshold criterion; and responsive to the number satisfying the fold threshold criterion: relocating the data stored in the corresponding ones of the plurality of blocks to other blocks on the memory component; and resetting the value of the second counter to an initial value.
This invention relates to data integrity management in memory systems, specifically addressing the challenge of detecting and mitigating data corruption in storage devices. The method involves monitoring error rates across multiple data blocks in a memory component to identify and relocate corrupted data. During a data integrity scan, the system evaluates the highest error rate among the blocks to determine if it meets a predefined error threshold. If the highest error rate exceeds this threshold, the system then checks whether a specified number of blocks (a "fold" threshold) also meet the error threshold. When both conditions are satisfied, the system relocates the data from the affected blocks to other, healthier blocks within the memory component. Additionally, the system resets a counter used to track error occurrences to its initial value, ensuring accurate future monitoring. This approach helps maintain data reliability by proactively identifying and addressing corruption before it escalates, particularly in storage systems where error rates can degrade performance or lead to data loss. The method is designed to balance thoroughness and efficiency, ensuring timely intervention without excessive resource consumption.
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March 16, 2021
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